Safety attachment for doors.



E. GARSTENS.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 27, 1912.

Fjg. 5. %%@M WITNESSES EMIL CARSTENS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOB, DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 1914.

Application filed September 27, 1912. Serial No. 722,686.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL OAnsrnNs, a

, citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding in New York, in the borough of Queens, county of Queens, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Attachments for Doors, of which the following is a speclfication.

This invention relates to an improved safety-attachment for the doors of school buildings, theaters and other public buildings by which, in case of a panic caused by fire or otherwise, the door is automatically opened simply by direct pressure against the same so as to permit the exit of the panicstricken persons.

In case of a sudden danger of fire in a public building, the panic stricken crowd presses against the doors so asto prevent the opening of the same just at a time when its opening is most needed, whereby frequently accidents, and even loss of life, occur.

The object of this invention is to provide a device of simple construction readily applicable to doors already in use and adapted to produce the opening of the doors of buildings when sudden pressure is exerted on the same, and whenthe opening in the regular manner is prevented, so as to permit thereby the automatic opening of the doors and the exit of the persons crowding against the same.

The invention is shown embodied in an apparatus which operates simultaneously to withdraw both the latch bolt and the locking bolt of the door.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a doc-r with my improved safety-attachment, and Figs. 2, 8 and 4 are respectively a horizontal section of the same on line 22, a detail vertical transverse section on line 33, and a vertical transverse section on line M, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the different figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the door and a the door casing. The door a is provided with a common mortised latch (Z having a stud cl which projects beyond the inner face of the door and slides in a slot 8 therein. The door is also provided adjacent to the mortised latch with a locking bolt 6 the sliding member of which is provided with a lateral stud c. On the inside of the door is arranged on the transverse midrail thereof a metallic bow-shaped crossbar 6. One end of this crossbar is fixed to the door by a headed stud b or otherwise and the opposite end which is'immediately adjacent to said latch and bolt, is provided with a sloto and slidably connected with the door by means of a headed stud or bolt 6 or otherwise as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The crossbar b is provided with inclined offsets b at its opposite ends as shown in Fig. 2. The body ofthe crossbar is thus held out of contact and away from the door and cushioning springs 72 disposed between the door and said bar on pins 6* serve to hold the bar normally out of contact with the door. The crossbar b is preferably made of wrought iron or steel of such a thickness that it will yield and become elongated under pressure. A lever c is fulcrumed to the door between the sliding end of said bar I) and the latch and lock bolts aforesaid adjacent to the latter. This lever is pivoted at one end on one side of its fulcrum to the sliding end of the bar 5 and engages at its outer end the lateral stud e" of the locking bolt and between said stud and its fulcrum it engages the stud d of the latch bolt cl.

In the operation of this device, when a sudden pressure is exerted on the crossbar b, the free end thereof moves outward and thereby swings the lever c on its fulcrum and said lever by its contact with the stud of the latch bolt and the stud of the locking bolt withdraws both from their keepers and releases the door, permitting it to open. The pressure on the cross bar is created by the persons crowding against the door and the greater the pressure the quicker will be the action of the crossbar and the withdrawal of the bolt and latch, so that in case of fire or other emergency the door is quickly opened and the persons permitted to escape.

I claim:

1. A safety attachment for doors comprising a bowshaped spring bar adapted for application to a door face, means for securing one end of said spring bar thereto. a support which permits a longitudinal sliding movement of the other end of said spring bar, a bolt secured to said door immediately adjacent to the slidable end of said spring bar and provided with an actuator, and a lever fulcrumed to said door adjacent to said bolt and t0 the'slidabl'e end of said bar, said lever being engaged by said spring bar and 2; A safety attachment for doors comprising a bovvshaped spring bar adapted for application to a door face, means for securing one end of. said spring bar thereto, a support Which permits a longitudinal sliding movement of the other end of said spring bar, a latch bolt secured to said door,

a locking bolt secured to said door, both said boltsbeing immediately adjacent to the slidable end of said spring bar and being pro- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratentsi EMIL CARSTENS.

Witnesses PAUL GoEBnL, JOHN MURTAGH.

Washington, I). 0. 1 

